Cub Scouting is a year-round family- and home-centered program of the Boy Scouts of America that develops ethical decision-making skills for boys. It is available to boys under the age of 11 who meet any of the following qualifications:

boys who are 7, 8, 9, and 10 years old

OR

boys in the first through fifth grade and are not registered in a Boy Scout troop.

The Webelos Scout Program and Webelos Activity Badges are for a Cub Scout who has completed the third grade or is age 10 but has not yet completed fifth grade or reached age 11 1/2. The word "Webelos" means WE'll BE LOyal Scouts, and should always be used as a modifier, never as a noun.

Cub Scout Academics and Sports Program (Belt Loops and Pins)

The Cub Scout Academics and Sports Program is designed toward the third aim of Scouting: the development of physical, mental, and emotional fitness. It is an optional program for all Cub Scouts and is designed to assist in learning or improving skills. Belt loops are awarded for completing standards in various academic and sport fields. Advanced skills are recognized by pins, displayed on the Cub Scout Academic and Sports letter.

Cub Scout Pack Leadership

History of Cub Scouting

In 1914, Lord Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of Boy Scouting, began implementing a program for younger boys that was based on Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book. The Wolf Cub program began in 1916, and since that time, Wolf Cubbing has spread to other European countries with very little change.

In America, hundreds of Cub Scout-age boys and their families were clamoring for a program of their own. As early as 1920, Scout executives at the first national training conference discussed the needs of younger boys. The BSA, however, felt it wise to postpone any action until there was more objective evidence.

In 1930, Cub Scouting was formally launched, with 5,102 boys registered at the end of that first year. By 1933 the time had come to promote Cub Scouting throughout the country as a part of Scouting. All experimental restrictions were removed, and the first national director of Cub Scouting was appointed. Cubs advanced from Bobcat (for all new members) to Wolf (age 9), Bear (age 10), and Lion (age 11) and joined a Boy Scout troop at age 12.

Cub Scouting in America is different from the younger-boy programs of other countries because it is centered in the home and neighborhood. With the encouragement of family and leaders, boys enjoy a program that covers a wide variety of interesting things. It suggests activities that boys enjoy doing on their own when adults are not supervising them. These activities are particularly suited to boys of Cub Scout age and are different from those they will encounter in Boy Scouting.

BSA Mission Statement

The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical choices over their lifetime by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.

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Aims of Scouting

All levels of the Scouting program share three specific objectives:

Character development

Citizenship training

Personal fitness

Character

One is growth in moral strength and character. We may define this as what the boy is himself; his personal qualities, his values, his outlook.

Citizenship

A second is participating citizenship. Used broadly, citizenship means the boy's relationship to others. He comes to learn obligations to other people, to the society he lives in, and to the government that presides over that society.

Fitness

A third aim of Scouting is development of physical, mental, and emotional fitness. Fitness includes the body (well-tuned and healthy), the mind (able to think and solve problems), and the emotions (self-control, courage, and self-respect).